lost in translation

One of the things that always amuses me with French language, is the sheer amount of it. Not quite the same as the 97 Inuit words for snow but in this bit of France at least they do love to talk, to use several words where just one would do, and discuss everything in teeny weeny detail. I had to see Milla's head teacher yesterday to discuss what school she will go in September. Turned out all the head really needed was to be given one piece of paper, but she still trilled on and on about Romy's character (relevant, how?) grilled me about this, that and the other, waffled on about our arty family and then told Milla she was too quiet (it's called British reserve, lady).
Mesdames et Messieurs I give you the perfect example. You know that book called 'The Horse Whisperer'?
Well, in French the title translates as 'The Man Who Murmurs Into The Ears Of Horses.'
It's rather endearing quand même.

all good things must come to an end

Yesterday was the 'official' finish date of this run of Shooting The Breeze, although throughout we have had to be fairly flexible with deadlines, as many Breezies' real lives had a nasty habit of getting in the way, as life tends to do and 8 weeks stretched into 10 in the end. But they were a brilliant bunch and we have had a blast. When I first conceived the idea, I wasn't sure if what I knew was enough to help and inspire others and it felt like such a ginormous step out of my comfort zone ~ whatever the hell that is ~ and I was scared shitless, to be honest. But like all the best of ideas, it's the scary ones that make us grow, push us and ultimately give us the greatest thrill and sense of achievement. I never dreamt that I too would learn myself so much** from all these wonderful and open people. Thank you all for taking the plunge, doing these workshops so wholeheartedly and giving me confidence. 

**One of the things I noticed is my preference for wide apertures. Oh yes, I'm a sucker for shallow depth of field, silky bokeh and sideways viewpoints. So all these above pictures have been my attempt to have a smaller aperture, even change to a *gulp* 30mm lens (looking at you Graham)  instead of 50mm, look at the bigger picture and shoot the breeze.

testing, testing. again.

It all seems so long ago, has it really been a little over a week? I mentioned I had been to spend a Night At The Museum in Toulouse and I also mentioned I got new a camera, a Canon AE-1. Note to Self ~ I really need to blog things as they happen. These are the pictures from the first roll of film, taken either in Toulouse (bottom 3) or Carcassonne (the rest). I'm not sure really how I feel about the Canon, the jury in my head have not yet delivered their verdict. I guess like anything sometimes you need to warm to it a little. Somethings are good, some not so much. You know how you sometimes hear a new record and think it's OK, but 5 listens later you are utterly in love with it? Or else you love things right away and then go off them quickly. Well I get like that with loads of things, especially cameras. Anyone else the same as me?

***

The painting reflected in the mirrors is 'Les Femmes d'Alger' by Djamel Tatah. It was beautiful.

time and me only

 I'd forgotten about these from a few weeks ago, I've been so busy lately. This is what my spring was like. Well the good bits anyway. We'll just gloss over the not-so-good bits, shall we? My blog, my rules.
Pentax Spotmatic/Fujifilm 200

on her way

Thank you everyone for your comments on my last post, they were a joy to read and we really do appreciate all your kind words.

***

Saturday night was the European Night of the Museum. We chose Les Abbatoirs Museum of Contemporary Art and The Natural History Museum, both in Toulouse. What a experience! Crowded, noisy but exhilarating. We collapsed into bed exhausted in the small hours of the morning, filled up with inspiration and wonder. I shall tell you all about it later, when I get the photographs back. Photographs, I might add, taken with a new camera Harry came home with for me the other day. He knows how to keep me sweet, that clever man. 

***

But the reason for this post isn't about me. I want to share with you these words from Isabelle Bertolini aka Elisabelle, bloguese and film photographer extraordinaire. She has an amazing talent for seeing the beauty in everything, especially the quieter and ordinary moments of the day. This session of Shooting The Breeze is coming to an end soon, and I felt Isa's work would really be enjoyed by and also inspire my breezies. I was delighted when she was kind enough to be interviewed for the STB blog. I reckon her words and works are too good not to share over here as well. 

"I am from Marseille, moved at 22 to Paris, was an actress till 31.

I am now head of the creative department of a French-American dubbing company. I got my first camera when I was pregnant, started to shoot my son like crazy, heard from friends that my photos were not bad. 

Alma convinced me to start a blog almost 3 years ago. My photos have evolved enormously thanks to it, because it got me to practice, to take photos every day, plus I get a lot of inspiration from other blogs too.

Pour la petite histoire, my grand father (the Minolta owner) was a passionate amateur photographer. I hardly knew him, he was living in Brittany and died when I was still pretty young. (You can see some of his shots here)"

"Light inspires me, people and all the little pleasures.

I have started 2 series: la mère et l’enfant, because I am fascinated by this indescribable bound between a mother and her child; and simple things, simply to capture all the little things that could go unnoticed but make me happy daily.

I never plan my shots, sometimes I just move something that is disturbing the composition. But I like to shoot life as it is.

I can’t take anymore photoshopped photos. Film photos are real, genuine. In a society where everything is abundant and fast, film is precious, unique and takes time.

And of course there is the grain. When I look at film photos of my son, I can see how soft his skin is. It feels so much more real than digital."

"I actually started using film pretty recently. 

I bought a Diana Mini a year ago and a Pentax K1000 in September. Since then, I've collected a lot of cameras that were sitting in the closets of family and friends.
I always have a camera with me and I am taking photos every day. It was pretty much instinctive from the start and so much more sensual than digital cameras. I got instantly addicted to the sound of the shutter."

"My favourite camera is the Minolta SRT303 that was my grandfather’s, my father’s and became mine in January. 

I love this camera because I am the third generation to use it. I never post edit any of my photos.
My favourite film is Kodak Ektar 100, it is magic film:). I love to shoot the people I love."

Thank you so much Isa, bisous! xx

Please visit her blog and flickr

about a girl

Like most 14 year olds, she does not see her beauty, believes that no-one notices her and everyone else looks much better, prettier. She is tiny for her age, quiet and thoughtful by nature and does not see what I see.

"Come on, let's take the dog for a walk. I am trying out a film I've never used before and I need something to photograph." 

 But now she sees what I see.

Pentax Spotmatic/ Agfa APX100

black and white film developing

A while ago I asked the question “how about a home developing b&w film tutorial?” And it seemed quite a few answered yes, please. It's taken a while to get myself together, but here it is.

I love black and white photography. It makes for the most delicious light and shadow, the subject matter becomes free of distractions, plus I'm an old, traditional nostalgist at heart. Developing my film is probably my most favourite part of photography over all else; being in (relative) control the whole way through the process from viewfinder to the final picture really scratches as that creative, hands-on itch. It gives you a feeling that you are involved in an active, art-making process. Probably not for the wham bam thank you ma'am type of photographer, but for all of you who want to feel more connected, physically and mentally to the discipline. Everybody say om.

You will have to invest in the following:

• A developing tank and spiral reel. 
• Chemicals ~ for developer and fixer I recommend Kodak D-76 and Kodak or Foma fixer. I never use stop bath, I use white vinegar, but Ilford make a good stop bath if you want it. I would recommend getting a bottle of Kodak Photo-flo for the final rinse.
• Dark containers for storing the mixed up chemicals.
• Measuring jugs.
• Film squeegee tweezers.
• a timer or stop watch.
• Thermometer

Optional extras:

• Film changing bag if you don't have a pitch dark cupboard or room (my shower is light-tight)
• A tool to open film canisters (I use a bottle opener)
• Film clips (you can use regular pegs)

In France or Europe, you can buy all you need here, in the UK here and across the pond (and pretty much everywhere else) here.

So here's how to do it.

• Start off by making sure you have everything you need to hand. Mix up your chemicals very carefully following the instructions on the packet. Pour into your dark bottles and label. If I am using previously mixed and stored chemicals I stand the bottles in hot water for several minutes to bring them up to approx 20°C/68°F, the ideal temperature for developing. If they are freshly mixed and need cooling slightly, stand them in cold water. 
• Either in the pitch dark (if necessary seal any light gaps in your room/cupboard with black insulating tape, light leaks will fog your film and ruin it completely, so no scrimping on this part) or in a film changing bag, crack open the film canister using your film or bottle opener, and tip the film still wound on it's spool into your hand. 

• This is the hardest bit. In the complete dark or inside the bag you have to load the film from it's spool onto the spiral reel. Cut off the film leader and slowly feed the film end onto the reel. Then by twisting the reel back and forth it should load onto the spiral reel, as in the above picture (apologies for the bitten nails and skin, disgusting habit). When you reach the end of the film, cut it away from the spool and give it one extra turn. It's probably a good idea to practise this with an old film in the light a few times first to get the hang of it.  
• Put the loaded reel onto the spindle that is inside the developing tank, seal the tank up carefully and now you can turn the lights on.
• You need to make sure you use your developer for the right amount of time. Either follow the guide on your developer packet or use this chart. Take the rubber lid only off the top of your tank, pour in sufficient developer, re-seal and start your timer for the appropriate time. For the first 30 secs invert the tank i.e. whip your tank back and forth (slowly), and tap it down a couple of times to release any air bubbles. After that, you need to agitate the tank 4 or 5 times every minute till your timer goes off, by inverting it.

• Pour out the developer and put the tank under running water. Experience has taught me to never use developer for more than a maximum of 3 films. I usually dump it after 2 to be on the safe side. Leave the tap running for about 5 mins. If you use a stop bath maybe you could shorten this. Anyway, after the 5 mins is up I fill a jug with a 1+4 solution of white vinegar and water, pour that in and agitate for 30 secs. Pour away and rinse under running water for a minute.
• Empty the water from the tank and pour in your fixer. You need to fix for between 5-10 minutes, depending on a) your fixer and b) how old it is. Invert/agitate exactly as you did the developer and when it is done, carefully pour it back into the bottle. Fixer should never go down the sink. 
• Rinse the tank again under running water for another 5 minutes or so. Then mix a few drops of Photo-flo with water in a jug. Pour into the tank, agitate for no more than 30 seconds. Empty the tank, open up and remove and shake the spiral. Remove your film from the spiral, and hang up in a dry, preferably dust free place using your clips or pegs. Bathrooms are good. Run the squeegee down the strip a couple of times to give you good smear and stain free negatives. I like to leave mine to hang overnight before I do anything with them.

So that's all there is to it. My method and it works for me!

down by the water

Pentax Spotmatic Fuji Superia 200

swapped

Recently I have sold some Kodak instamatics and my Diana, and replaced them with a Kodak Brownie Cresta 3. The first test roll was more error than trial, this was the best shot but I think I've got the hang of it now. I did dabble with toy cameras and got quite addicted for a while, but overall I felt a bit meh. The Cresta has a glass rather than a plastic lens, and I think that suits me personally much better, but we will see. A woman has the right to change her mind.

***

Indeed she does. I had a wonderful day yesterday messing about mould-making and casting in plaster, and the old magic is still there for me. After saying this not so long ago, too.

***

My latest guest column is up over at Indie Fixx. This time it's all about getting started, go take a look if your feeling a bit schlumpy. And when you've done with that, go and look at Isabelle's flickr.